Ben Stiller to star in new TV series The Band

Ben Stiller has been signed on to lead a new dramedy series set in the music industry.

The Meet the Parents star will join the show that is currently in the works at HBO, Deadline reports.

According to the official logline of the series, The Band "offers an inside look at the music industry centred on Oscar (played by Stiller), a pop impresario and talent mogul beset by scandal who is tasked with forming a new act in order to save his career - and perhaps his soul."

The role, which has been dubbed as a Simon Cowell-esque character, marks a return to acting for Stiller, who has mostly been focused on working behind the scenes as a director and producer for the past several years, including his work on the hit Apple TV+ series Severance, and the Showtime limited series Escape at Dannemora.

He is also set to reprise his role as Hal the orderly in Happy Gilmore 2 which releases later this year.

Stiller's past movie roles include There's Something About Mary and Night at the Museum. He also directed and co-wrote Zoolander and Tropic Thunder, and has worked both in front of and behind the camera on several of his films.